Lesson 25: A Cunning Deceiver

 Daniel 8:15-27  
15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.
16 And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”
17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.”
18 And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up.
19 He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end.
20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia.
21 And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king.
22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power.
23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise.
24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints.
25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.
26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”
27 And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.


The events explained in verses 15-22 can be verified as true in any history book telling events from Cyrus through the end of the Grecian Empire when Rome came into power. From verse 23 on we see prophecy for “the latter end of their kingdom”, the part that told about the ten toes of iron and clay in Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. This prophecy now becomes personal about one man – the Antichrist. He is described here as cunning, deceitful, and destructive. He will “even rise up against the Prince of princes” – Jesus Christ Himself.

This vision was powerfully disturbing for Daniel, so much that it made him physically ill for several days. We, who now live in the last days do not truly understand the evil of the man who is about to come into power in our world – he will have great ability to deceive; and will mislead a great many of our world. Those who see him for who he really is will be hunted for destruction.

*Read 1 Peter 1:10-11 – How well did the prophets of the Old Testament understand the things they were writing?